Conventional spindle driven winding machines are provided with one of several known arrangements for effecting such transfer. Such arrangements involve the provision of grooves or other special features on the surface of the empty tube, or teeth, slots or the like on the tube gripping chuck of the winding machine. These "yarn-catcher" features are provided so that, after the yarn travelling to the full package has been cut, the free end of the incoming yarn can be guided in the vicinity of the "yarn-catcher" feature to be gripped thereby and winding of the yarn onto the empty tube can be commenced.
However, the provision of such "yarn-catcher" features on the tubes or winder chucks adds to the cost thereof, particularly since there must be provided in addition, yarn guide means of a relatively complicated nature to guide the incoming yarn along a suitable trajectory such that it may be entrained by the "yarn-catcher" device. With such arrangements there is usually a considerable amount of waste yarn generated, and it is difficult to assess accurately the amount of yarn wound on each package.